Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, in
French Flanders
French Flanders (french: La Flandre française) is a part of the historical County of Flanders in present-day France where a dialect of Dutch was or still is traditionally spoken. The region lies in the modern-day region of Hauts-de-France an ...
. On the river
Deûle, near France's border with
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
, it is the capital of the
Hauts-de-France
Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''Upper France'') is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. The ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
, the
prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
of the
Nord
Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to:
Acronyms
* National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization
* New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US
Film and televisi ...
department, and the main city of the
European Metropolis of Lille.
The city of Lille proper had a population of 234,475 in 2019 within its small municipal territory of ,
but together with its French
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separ ...
s and
exurb
An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing density, and growth. It sh ...
s the Lille
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...
(French part only), which extends over , had a population of 1,510,079 that same year (Jan. 2019 census),
the fourth most populated in France after
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
,
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...
, and
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
. The city of Lille and 94 suburban French municipalities have formed since 2015 the
European Metropolis of Lille, an
indirectly elected
An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office (direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the ol ...
metropolitan authority now in charge of wider metropolitan issues, with a population of 1,179,050 at the Jan. 2019 census.
More broadly, Lille belongs to a vast
conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most cas ...
formed with the
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
cities of
Mouscron
Mouscron (; Dutch and vls, Moeskroen, ; Picard and Walloon language, Walloon: ''Moucron'') is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgium, Belgian Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, along the border ...
,
Kortrijk
Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders.
It is the capital and larg ...
,
Tournai
Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Eurome ...
and
Menin, which gave birth in January 2008 to the
Eurometropolis Lille–Kortrijk–Tournai, the first
European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), which has more than 2.1 million inhabitants.
Nicknamed in France the "Capital of Flanders", Lille and its surroundings belong to the historical region of
Romance Flanders, a former territory of the county of
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
that is not part of the linguistic area of
West Flanders
West Flanders ( nl, West-Vlaanderen ; vls, West Vloandern; french: (Province de) Flandre-Occidentale ; german: Westflandern ) is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the No ...
. A garrison town (as evidenced by its Citadel), Lille has had an eventful history from the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
to the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
. Very often besieged during its history, it belonged successively to the
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...
, the
Burgundian State
The Burgundian StateB. Schnerb, ''L'État bourguignon'', 1999 (french: État bourguignon; nl, Bourgondische Rijk) is a concept coined by historians to describe the vast complex of territories that is also referred to as Valois Burgundy.
It de ...
, the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
of Germany and the
Spanish Netherlands
Spanish Netherlands ( Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the ...
before being definitively attached to the France of
Louis XIV
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...
following the
War of Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phili ...
along with the entire territory making up the historic province of
French Flanders
French Flanders (french: La Flandre française) is a part of the historical County of Flanders in present-day France where a dialect of Dutch was or still is traditionally spoken. The region lies in the modern-day region of Hauts-de-France an ...
. Lille was again under siege in 1792 during the
Franco-Austrian War, and in 1914 and 1940. It was severely tested by the two
world war
A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...
s of the 20th century during which it was occupied and suffered destruction.
A merchant city since its origins and a manufacturing city since the 16th century, the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
made it a great industrial capital, mainly around the
textile
Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, different #Fabric, fabric types, etc. At f ...
and mechanical industries. Their decline, from the 1960s onwards, led to a long period of crisis and it was not until the 1990s that the conversion to the
tertiary sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
and the rehabilitation of the disaster-stricken districts gave the city a different face. Today, the historic center, Old Lille, is characterized by its 17th-century red brick town houses, its paved pedestrian streets and its central Grand'Place. The belfry of the
Hôtel de ville de Lille
The Hôtel de ville de Lille (English: Lille Town Hall) is a municipal building in Lille, France. Built between 1924 and 1932 in Art Deco style of Flemish neo-Renaissance inspiration, it is listed as a '' Monument historique'' since May 2002. ...
(Lille City Hall) is one of the 23
belfries in the
Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Nord-Pas-de-Calais (); pcd, Nord-Pas-Calés); is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Nord-Pas-de-Calais ...
and
Somme __NOTOC__
Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places
*Somme (department), a department of France
*Somme, Queensland, Australia
*Canal de la Somme, a canal in France
*Somme (river), a river in France
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Somme'' (book), a ...
regions that were classified as
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
in July 2005, in recognition of their architecture and importance to the rise of municipal power in Europe.
The construction of the brand-new
Euralille
Euralille is an urban quarter in the centre of Lille, France. Conceived as a major European business district in the 1980s, it is strategically located at the intersection of the high-speed railway lines linking Paris, Brussels, and London, and ...
business district in 1988 (now the third largest in France) and the arrival of the
TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
and then the
Eurostar
Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Most Eurostar trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operate ...
in 1994 put Lille at the heart of the major European capitals. The development of its
international airport
An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer r ...
, annual events such as the
Braderie de Lille in early September (attracting three million visitors), the development of a student and
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
center (with more than 110,000 students, the third largest in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
behind
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
and
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...
), its ranking as a
European Capital of Culture in 2004 and the events of Lille 2004 (
European Capital of Culture) and Lille 3000 are the main symbols of this revival. The
European metropolis of Lille was awarded the "World Design Capital 2020".
History
Origins
Archeological digs seem to show the area as inhabited by as early as 2000 BC, most notably in the modern ''quartiers'' of
Fives
Fives is an English sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racquet sports. In fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a 3- or 4-sided special court, using a gloved or bare hand as though it were a racquet, similar to ...
,
Wazemmes Wazemmes is a former commune in the Nord department in northern France, merged into Lille in 1858.
It is a cosmopolitan neighborhood, with a significant population of Chinese immigrants.
Heraldry
See also
*Communes of the Nord department
Th ...
and Vieux Lille. The original inhabitants of the region were the
Gauls
The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They sp ...
, such as the
Menapians, the
Morins, the
Atrebates
The Atrebates (Gaulish: *''Atrebatis'', 'dwellers, land-owners, possessors of the soil') were a Belgic tribe of the Iron Age and the Roman period, originally dwelling in the Artois region.
After the tribes of Gallia Belgica were defeated by ...
and the
Nervians
The Nervii were one of the most powerful Belgic tribes of northern Gaul at the time of its conquest by Rome. Their territory corresponds to the central part of modern Belgium, including Brussels, and stretched southwards into French Hainault. ...
, who were followed by
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples were historical groups of people that once occupied Central Europe and Scandinavia during antiquity and into the early Middle Ages. Since the 19th century, they have traditionally been defined by the use of ancient and ear ...
: the
Saxons
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
, the
Frisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal regions of the Netherlands and northwestern Germany. They inhabit an area known as Frisia and are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, ...
and the
Franks
The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...
.
The legend of "
Lydéric and Phinaert
Lydéric and Phinaert were semi-legendary figures tied to the foundation of the French city of Lille.
Legend
Around 620 AD, the prince of Duchy of Dijon, Salvaert, made his way to the lands that would become the Kingdom of England with his preg ...
" puts the foundation of the city of Lille at 640. In the 8th century, the language of
Old Low Franconian was spoken, as attested by
toponymic
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
research. Lille's Dutch name is ''Rijsel'', which comes from ''ter ijsel'' (at the island) from
Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects whose ancestor was Old Dutch. It was spoken and written between 1150 and 1500. Until the advent of Modern Dutch after 1500 or c. 1550, there was no overarc ...
''ijssel'' ("small island, islet"),
calque
In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...
of
Old French
Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intel ...
l'Isle ("the Island"), itself from
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
''Īnsula'', from ''īnsula'' ("island").
From 830 to around 910, the
Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
invaded Flanders. After the destruction caused by
Normans
The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...
' and the
Magyars
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Uralic ...
' invasion, the eastern part of the region was ruled by various local princes.
The first mention of the town dates from 1066: ''apud Insulam'' (Latin for "at the island"). It was then controlled by the
County of Flanders
The County of Flanders was a historic territory in the Low Countries.
From 862 onwards, the counts of Flanders were among the original twelve peers of the Kingdom of France. For centuries, their estates around the cities of Ghent, Bruges a ...
, as were the regional cities (the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
cities
Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...
,
Arras
Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of ...
,
Cambrai
Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the ...
as well as the
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippi ...
cities
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...
,
Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer (; vls, Sint-Omaars) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France.
It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint Audoma ...
,
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...
and
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
). The County of Flanders thus extended to the left bank of the
Scheldt
The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...
, one of the richest and most prosperous regions of Europe.
Middle Ages
The Carolingian duke
Évrard lived in the city in the 9th century and participated in many of the day's political and military affairs. There was an important Battle of Lille in 1054.
Raimbert of Lille Raimbert of Lille (fl. c. 1100) was an early medieval nominalist who taught at Lille. Along with Roscelin, he was an opponent of exaggerated realism. His nominalism was attacked by Odo of Tournai Odo of Tournai, also known as Odoardus or Odo of Orl ...
(fl. c. 1100) was an early
nominalist
In metaphysics, nominalism is the view that universals and abstract objects do not actually exist other than being merely names or labels. There are at least two main versions of nominalism. One version denies the existence of universalsthings th ...
who taught at Lille.
From the 12th century, the fame of the Lille cloth fair began to grow. In 1144 Saint-Sauveur parish was formed, which would give its name to the modern-day ''quartier Saint-Sauveur''.
The counts of Flanders,
Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...
, and
Hainaut came together with England and East Frankia and tried to regain territory taken by
Philip II of France
Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French m ...
following Henry II of England's death, a war that ended with the French victory at
Bouvines
Bouvines (; nl, Bovingen) is a commune and village in the Nord department in northern France. It is on the French- Belgian border between Lille and Tournai.
History
On 27 July 1214, the Battle of Bouvines was fought here between the forces of ...
in 1214.
Infante Ferdinand, Count of Flanders was imprisoned and the county fell into dispute: it would be his wife,
Jeanne, Countess of Flanders and
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, who ruled the city. She was said to be well loved by the residents of Lille, who by that time numbered 10,000.
In 1225, the
street performer
Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...
and
juggler
Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object ...
Bertrand Cordel, doubtlessly encouraged by local lords, tried to pass himself off as
Baldwin I of Constantinople (the father of Jeanne of Flanders), who had disappeared at the
battle of Adrianople
The Battle of Adrianople (9 August 378), sometimes known as the Battle of Hadrianopolis, was fought between an Eastern Roman army led by the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens and Gothic rebels (largely Thervings as well as Greutungs, non-Gothic A ...
. He pushed the counties of
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
and
Hainaut towards sedition against Jeanne in order to recover his land. She called her cousin,
Louis VIII ("The Lion"). He unmasked the imposter, whom Countess Jeanne quickly had hanged. In 1226 the king agreed to free Infante Ferdinand, Count of Flanders. Count Ferrand died in 1233, and his daughter Marie soon after. In 1235, Jeanne granted a city charter by which city governors would be chosen each All Saint's Day by four commissioners chosen by the ruler. On 6 February 1236, she founded the Countess's Hospital (
Hospice Comtesse
The Hospice Comtesse or Hospice Notre-Dame is a 17th-century hospice on Rue de la Monnaie in the Old Town area of Lille, France, first built in 1236 by Joan, Countess of Flanders
Joan, often called Joan of Constantinople ( 1199 – 5 December ...
). It was in her honour that the hospital of the Regional Medical University of Lille was named "Jeanne of Flanders Hospital" in the 20th century.
The Countess died in 1244 in the
Abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The c ...
of Marquette, leaving no heirs. The rule of Flanders and Hainaut thus fell to her sister,
Margaret II, Countess of Flanders, then to Margaret's son,
Guy of Dampierre
Guy of Dampierre (french: Gui de Dampierre; nl, Gwijde van Dampierre) ( – 7 March 1305, Compiègne) was the Count of Flanders (1251–1305) and Marquis of Namur (1264–1305). He was a prisoner of the French when his Flemings defeated the ...
. Lille fell under the rule of France from 1304 to 1369, after the
Franco-Flemish War
The Franco-Flemish War (french: Guerre de Flandre; nl, Vlaamse opstand) was a conflict between the Kingdom of France and the County of Flanders between 1297 and 1305.
Causes
Philip IV of France became king in 1285, and was determined to stre ...
(1297–1305).
The county of Flanders fell to the
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy (; la, Ducatus Burgundiae; french: Duché de Bourgogne, ) emerged in the 9th century as one of the successors of the ancient Kingdom of the Burgundians, which after its conquest in 532 had formed a constituent part of the ...
next, after the 1369 marriage of
Margaret III, Countess of Flanders
Margaret III (13 April 1350 – 16/21 March 1405) was a ruling Countess of Flanders, Countess of Artois, and Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne between 1384 and 1405. She was the last Countess of Flanders of the House of Dampierre.
She was al ...
, and
Philip the Bold
Philip II the Bold (; ; 17 January 1342 – 27 April 1404) was Duke of Burgundy and ''jure uxoris'' Count of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. He was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg.
Philip II w ...
, Duke of Burgundy. Lille thus became one of the three capitals of said Duchy, along with
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
and
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlie ...
. By 1445, Lille counted some 25,000 residents.
Philip the Good
Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...
, Duke of Burgundy, was even more powerful than the
King of France
France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions.
Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the fir ...
, and made Lille an administrative and financial capital.
On 17 February 1454, one year after the
taking of Constantinople by the
Turks, Philip the Good organised a
Pantagruelian banquet at his Lille palace, the still-celebrated "
Feast of the Pheasant
The Feast of the Pheasant ( French: ''Banquet du Vœu du faisan'', "Banquet of the Oath of the Pheasant") was a banquet given by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy on 17 February 1454 in Lille, now in France. Its purpose was to promote a crusade a ...
". There the Duke and his court undertook an oath to Christianity.
In 1477, at the death of the last duke of Burgundy,
Charles the Bold
Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...
,
Mary of Burgundy
Mary (french: Marie; nl, Maria; 13 February 1457 – 27 March 1482), nicknamed the Rich, was a member of the House of Valois-Burgundy who ruled a collection of states that included the duchies of Limburg, Brabant, Luxembourg, the counties of ...
married
Maximilian of Austria, who thus became Count of Flanders.
Early modern era
![Lille bourse profil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Lille_bourse_profil.jpg)
The 16th and the 17th centuries were marked by a boom in the regional textile industry, the Protestant revolts and outbreaks of the
plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
.
Lille came under the rule of the
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fr ...
in 1519. The
Low Countries
The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
fell to his eldest son,
Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
, in 1555. The city remained under
Spanish Habsburg rule until 1668.
Calvinism
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...
first appeared in the area in 1542, and by 1555, the authorities were taking steps to suppress that form of
Protestantism
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
. In 1566, the countryside around Lille was affected by the
Iconoclastic Fury. In 1578, the Hurlus, a group of Protestant rebels, stormed the castle of the Counts of Mouscron. They were removed four months later by a Catholic
Wallon regiment, and they tried several times between 1581 and 1582 to take the city of Lille, all in vain. The Hurlus were notably held back by the legendary
Jeanne Maillotte. At the same time (1581), at the call of
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
Eli ...
, the north of the
Seventeen Provinces
The Seventeen Provinces were the Imperial states of the Habsburg Netherlands in the 16th century. They roughly covered the Low Countries, i.e., what is now the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and most of the French departments of Nord (F ...
, having gained a Protestant majority, successfully revolted and formed the
Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiograph ...
. The war brought or exacerbated periods of famine and plague (the last in 1667–1679).
The first printer to set up shop in Lille was Antoine Tack in 1594. The 17th century saw the building of new institutions: an
Irish College
Irish Colleges is the collective name used for approximately 34 centres of education for Irish Catholic clergy and lay people opened on continental Europe in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
History
The Colleges were set up to educate Ro ...
in 1610, a Jesuit college in 1611, an Augustinian college in 1622, almshouses or hospitals such as the Maison des Vieux hommes in 1624 and the Bonne et Forte Maison des Pauvres in 1661, and of a
Mont-de-piété in 1626.
Unsuccessful French attacks on the city were launched in 1641 and 1645. In 1667,
Louis XIV
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...
of France (the Sun King) successfully laid
siege to Lille, resulting in it becoming French in 1668 under the
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, provoking discontent among the citizens of the prosperous city. A number of important public works undertaken between 1667 and 1670, such as the
Citadel
A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
In ...
(erected by
Vauban), or the creation of the quartiers of Saint-André and la Madeleine, enabled the French king to gradually gain the confidence of his new subjects in Lille, some of whom continued to feel Flemish, but they had always spoken the Romance
Picard language
Picard (, also , ) is a '' langue d'oïl'' of the Romance language family spoken in the northernmost part of France and Hainaut province in Belgium. Administratively, this area is divided between the French Hauts-de-France region and the Belgi ...
.
![Citadelle de Vauban, Lille](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Citadelle_de_Vauban%2C_Lille.JPG)
For five years, from 1708 to 1713, the city was occupied by the Dutch during the
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
. Throughout the 18th century, Lille remained profoundly Catholic. It took little part in the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
, but there were riots and the destruction of churches. In 1790, the city held its first municipal elections.
Post-French Revolution
In 1792, in the aftermath of the French Revolution, the
Austrians
, pop = 8–8.5 million
, regions = 7,427,759
, region1 =
, pop1 = 684,184
, ref1 =
, region2 =
, pop2 = 345,620
, ref2 =
, region3 =
, pop3 = 197,990
, ref3 ...
, then in the United Provinces, laid siege to Lille. The "
Column of the Goddess", erected in 1842 in the "Grand-Place" (officially named ), is a tribute to the city's resistance, led by
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
. Although Austrian artillery destroyed many houses and the main church of the city, the city did not surrender, and the Austrian Army left after eight days.
![France-Lille-cannonballs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/France-Lille-cannonballs.jpg)
The city continued to grow and, by 1800, had some 53,000 residents, leading to Lille becoming the seat of the Nord ''départment'' in 1804. In 1846, a railway connecting Paris and Lille was built. In the early the 19th century,
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
's
continental blockade
The Continental Blockade (), or Continental System, was a large-scale embargo against British trade by Napoleon Bonaparte against the British Empire from 21 November 1806 until 11 April 1814, during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon issued the Berlin ...
against the United Kingdom led to Lille's textile industry developing even more fully. The city was known for its cotton while the nearby towns of
Roubaix and
Tourcoing
Tourcoing (; nl, Toerkonje ; vls, Terkoeje; pcd, Tourco) is a city in northern France on the Belgian border. It is designated municipally as a commune within the department of Nord. Located to the north-northeast of Lille, adjacent to Roubaix, ...
worked wool. Leisure activities were thoroughly organised in 1858 for the 80,000 inhabitants. Cabarets or taverns for the working class numbered 1,300, or one for every three houses. At that time the city counted 63 drinking and singing clubs, 37 clubs for card players, 23 for bowling, 13 for skittles, and 18 for archery. The churches likewise have their social organizations. Each club had a long roster of officers, and a busy schedule of banquets festivals and competitions. In 1853,
Alexandre Desrousseaux composed his lullaby "
P'tit quinquin".
In 1858, Lille annexed the adjacent towns of
Esquermes,
Fives
Fives is an English sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racquet sports. In fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a 3- or 4-sided special court, using a gloved or bare hand as though it were a racquet, similar to ...
, Moulins-Lille and
Wazemmes Wazemmes is a former commune in the Nord department in northern France, merged into Lille in 1858.
It is a cosmopolitan neighborhood, with a significant population of Chinese immigrants.
Heraldry
See also
*Communes of the Nord department
Th ...
.
[ Lille's population was 158,000 in 1872, growing to over 200,000 by 1891. In 1896 Lille became the first city in France to be led by a socialist, ]Gustave Delory
Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to:
*Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film
* ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...
.
By 1912, Lille's population stood at 217,000. The city profited from the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
, particularly via coal and the steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be ...
. The entire region grew wealthy thanks to its mines and textile industry.
First World War
Lille's occupation by the Germans began on 13 October 1914 after a ten-day siege and heavy shelling, which destroyed 882 apartment and office blocks and 1,500 houses, mostly around the railway station and in the centre. By the end of October, the city was being run by German authorities.
Because Lille was only 20 km from the battlefield, German troops passed through the city regularly on their way to and from the front. As a result, occupied Lille became a place for the hospitalisation and the treatment of wounded soldiers as well as a place for soldiers' relaxation and entertainment. Many buildings, homes and businesses were requisitioned to those ends.
Lille was liberated by the Allies on 17 October 1918, when General Sir William Birdwood
Field Marshal William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, (13 September 1865 – 17 May 1951) was a British Army officer. He saw active service in the Second Boer War on the staff of Lord Kitchener. He saw action again in the First World War ...
and his troops were welcomed by joyous crowds. The general was made an honorary citizen of the city of Lille on 28 October.
The only audio recording known to have been made during World War I was recorded near Lille in October 1918. The two-minute recording captured the Royal Garrison Artillery conducting a gas shell bombardment.
Lille was also the hunting ground of the German World War I flying ace Max Immelmann
Max Immelmann (21 September 1890 – 18 June 1916) '' PLM'' was the first German World War I flying ace.Shores, 1983, p. 10. He was a pioneer in fighter aviation and is often mistakenly credited with the first aerial victory using a synchro ...
, who was nicknamed "the Eagle of Lille".
''Années Folles'', Great Depression and Popular Front
In July 1921, at the Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute (french: Institut Pasteur) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vacc ...
in Lille, Albert Calmette
Léon Charles Albert Calmette ForMemRS (12 July 1863 – 29 October 1933) was a French physician, bacteriologist and immunologist, and an important officer of the Pasteur Institute. He discovered the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, an attenuated fo ...
and Camille Guérin discovered the first anti-tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...
vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified. , known as BCG ("Bacille de Calmette et Guérin"). The Opéra de Lille, designed by Lille architect Louis M. Cordonnier, was dedicated in 1923.
From 1931, Lille felt the repercussions of the Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, and by 1935, a third of the city's population lived in poverty. In 1936, the city's mayor, Roger Salengro
Roger Henri Charles Salengro (30 May 1890, in Lille – 18 November 1936, in Lille) was a French politician. He achieved fame as Minister of the Interior during the Popular Front (France), Popular Front government in 1936. He committed suicide a ...
, became Minister of the Interior
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
of the Popular Front
A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault".
More generally, it is "a coalition ...
but eventually killed himself after right-wing groups led a slanderous campaign against him.
Second World War
During the Battle of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wor ...
, Lille was besieged by German forces for several days. When Belgium was invaded, the citizens of Lille, still haunted by the events of World War I, began to flee the city in large numbers. Lille was part of the zone under control of the German commander in Brussels, and was never controlled by the Vichy government
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
in France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Lille was instead controlled under the military administration in Northern France. The ''départments'' of Nord and Pas-de-Calais
Pas-de-Calais (, "strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments of ...
(with the exception of the coast, notably Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France. ) were for the most part liberated from 1 to 5 September 1944, by British, Canadian and Polish troops. On 3 September, German troops began to leave Lille out of fear of the British, who were on their way from Brussels. The city was liberated by a British force consisting largely of tanks.
Rationing came to an end in 1947, and by 1948, normality had returned to Lille.
Postwar
In 1967, the Chambers of Commerce of Lille, Roubaix and Tourcoing were joined, and in 1969 the ''Communauté urbaine de Lille'' (Lille urban community) was created, linking 87 ''communes
An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...
'' with Lille.
Throughout the 1960s and the 1970s, the region was faced with some problems after the decline of the coal, mining and textile industries. From the early 1980s, the city began to turn itself more towards the service sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
.
Pierre Mauroy served as Mayor of Lille for 28 years from 1973 to 2001. Mauroy was Prime Minister for part of the term of Francois Mitterrand.
In 1983, the VAL
Val may refer to: Val-a
Film
* ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo
Military equipment
* Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies
* AS Val, a Sov ...
, the world's first automated rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...
underground network, opened. In 1993, a high-speed TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
train line was opened connecting Paris with Lille in one hour. This, with the opening of the Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel (french: Tunnel sous la Manche), also known as the Chunnel, is a railway tunnel that connects Folkestone (Kent, England, UK) with Coquelles ( Hauts-de-France, France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover ...
in 1994 and the arrival of the Eurostar
Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Most Eurostar trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operate ...
train put Lille at the centre of a triangle connecting Paris, London and Brussels.
Work on Euralille, an urban remodelling project, began in 1991. The Euralille Centre was opened in 1994, and the remodeled district is now full of parks and modern buildings containing offices, shops and apartments. In 1994 the "Grand Palais" was also opened for the general public, which is free for the public to enter on the first Sunday of every month.
21st Century
Lille was chosen as a European Capital of Culture in 2004, along with the Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
city of Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
.
Lille and Roubaix were affected by the 2005 riots, like all of France's other urban centres.
In 2007 and again in 2010, Lille was awarded the label "Internet City".
The Saint-Joseph Chapel of Saint-Paul College was demolished in February 2021.
Climate
Lille can be described as having a temperate oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
; summers normally do not reach high average temperatures, but winters can fall below freezing temperatures, but with averages quite a bit above the freezing mark. Precipitation is plentiful year round.
The table below gives average temperatures and precipitation levels for the 1991–2020 reference period.
Environment
Lille is noted for its air pollution, with a 2018 study attributing 1,700 deaths per year in the agglomeration of Lille to pollution. In 2018, Lille held France's record pollution peaks.
Population
The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Lille proper in its borders since 2000, i.e. a municipal territory of . This includes the former communes annexed by the commune of Lille: Esquermes, Fives
Fives is an English sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racquet sports. In fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a 3- or 4-sided special court, using a gloved or bare hand as though it were a racquet, similar to ...
, Moulins-Lille, and Wazemmes Wazemmes is a former commune in the Nord department in northern France, merged into Lille in 1858.
It is a cosmopolitan neighborhood, with a significant population of Chinese immigrants.
Heraldry
See also
*Communes of the Nord department
Th ...
in 1858, Hellemmes-Lille in 1977, and Lomme
Lomme (; nl, Olm) was a commune in the Nord ''département'' of northern France. It was absorbed as a ''commune associée'' by the city of Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in ...
in 2000.
The Lille metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...
, which is much larger than the small commune of Lille proper, covers a territory of (French part of the metropolitan area only) and had a population of 1,510,079 in 2019 (Jan. census).
Economy
A former major mechanical
Mechanical may refer to:
Machine
* Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement
* Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations ...
, food industry
The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditional, ...
and textile manufacturing centre as well as a retail and finance center, Lille is the largest city of a conurbation, built like a network of cities: Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing and Villeneuve-d'Ascq. The conurbation forms the Métropole Européenne de Lille
The Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL; en, "European Metropolis of Lille") is the ''métropole'', an intercommunal structure, composed by a network of big cities (Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Villeneuve d'Ascq, Armentières etc.) whose major ...
which is France's fourth-largest urban conglomeration with a 2016 population of over 1.15 million.
Revenues and taxes
For centuries, Lille, a city of merchants, has displayed a wide range of incomes: great wealth and poverty have lived side by side, especially until the end of the 1800s. This contrast was noted by Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
in 1851 in his poem Les Châtiments: « ''Caves de Lille ! on meurt sous vos plafonds de pierre !'' » ("Cellars of Lille! We die under your stone ceilings!")
Employment
Employment in Lille has switched over half a century from a predominant industry to tertiary activities and services.
Services account for 91% of employment in 2006.
Enterprises
At the end of 2015, Lille hosts around industry or service establishments.
Main sights
Lille features an array of architectural styles with various amounts of Flemish influence, including the use of brown and red brick. In addition, many residential neighborhoods, especially in Greater Lille, consist of attached two- to three-story houses aligned in a row, with narrow gardens in the back. These architectural attributes, many uncommon in France, help make Lille a transition in France to neighboring Belgium, as well as nearby Netherlands and England, where the presence of brick, as well as row houses or the terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United St ...
is much more prominent.
Points of interest include
* Lille Cathedral
Lille Cathedral, the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille (french: Basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille de Lille), is a Roman Catholic church and basilica in Lille, France, and the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Lille. An example of G ...
(''Basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille'')
* Citadel of Lille
* Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille
* Jardin botanique de la Faculté de Pharmacie
* Jardin botanique Nicolas Boulay
* Jardin des Plantes de Lille
La Braderie
Lille hosts an annual braderie on the first weekend in September. Its origins are thought to date back to the twelfth century and between two and three million visitors are drawn into the city. It is one of the largest gatherings of France and the largest flea market
A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal ...
in Europe.
Many of the roads in the inner city (including much of the old town) are closed and local shops, residents and traders set up stalls in the street.
Gallery
File:NUM19441.jpg, Column of the Goddess
File:La Voix du Nord.jpg, Lille Grand Place. La Voix du Nord (newspaper offices)
File:Lille2013.jpg, Lille Grand Place
file:Lille_Cathedral_exterior_01.JPG, Lille Cathedral
file:Jielbeaumadier theatre sebastopol lille 2007.jpg, Théâtre Sébastopol
file:Jielbeaumadier place du lion d or lille 2008.jpg, Lion d'or square
file:Jielbeaumadier porte de roubaix lille 2005.jpg, Porte de Roubaix
Monument aux Morts et Palais Rihour, Lille (DSCF2443).jpg, Rihour palace
file:Christ Church (Lille).JPG, Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...
Christ Church
file:Lille hotels particuliers Négrier.JPG, Hôtels particuliers rue Négrier, Vieux-Lille
Transport
Public transport
The Métropole Européenne de Lille
The Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL; en, "European Metropolis of Lille") is the ''métropole'', an intercommunal structure, composed by a network of big cities (Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Villeneuve d'Ascq, Armentières etc.) whose major ...
has a mixed mode public transport system, which is considered one of the most modern in the whole of France. It comprises buses, trams and a driverless light metro
A medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. MCS’s trains are usually 1-4 cars, or 1 lig ...
system, all of which are operated under the Transpole name. The Lille Metro
The Lille Metro (french: Métro de Lille) is a driverless light metro system located in Lille, France. It was opened on 25 April 1983 and was the first to use the VAL (french: véhicule automatique léger, en, light automated vehicle) sys ...
is a VAL system (''véhicule automatique léger'' = light automated vehicle) that opened on 16 May 1983, becoming the first automatic light metro line in the world. The system has two lines, with a total length of and 60 stations. The tram system consists of two interurban tram lines, connecting central Lille to the nearby communities of Roubaix and Tourcoing, and has 45 stops. Sixty-eight urban bus routes cover the metropolis, 8 of which reach into Belgium.
Railways
Lille is an important junction in the European high-speed rail
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
network. It lies on the Eurostar line to London (80-minute journey). The French TGV network also puts it only 1 hour from Paris and 38 minutes from Brussels and connects it to other major centres in France such as Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse. Lille has two railway stations next to each other: Lille-Europe station (''Gare de Lille-Europe''), which primarily serves high-speed trains and international services (Eurostar), and Lille-Flandres station
Lille-Flandres station ( French: ''Gare de Lille-Flandres'', Dutch: ''Rijsel Vlaanderen'') is the main railway station of Lille, capital of French Flanders. It is a terminus for SNCF Intercity and regional trains. It opened in 1842 as the ''Gar ...
(''Gare de Lille-Flandres''), which primarily serves lower-speed regional trains and regional Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
trains.
Highways
Five ''autoroutes'' pass by Lille, the densest confluence of highways in France after Paris:
* Autoroute A27 : Lille – Tournai – Brussels / Liège – Germany
* Autoroute A23 : Lille – Valenciennes
* Autoroute A1 : Lille – Arras – Paris / Reims – Lyon / Orléans / Le Havre
* Autoroute A25 : Lille – Dunkirk – Calais – England / North Belgium
* Autoroute A22 : Lille – Antwerp – Netherlands
A sixth one—the A24—would have linked Amiens to Lille if built, but the project was rejected several times then abandoned.
Air traffic
Lille Lesquin International Airport
Lille Airport (french: link=no, Aéroport de Lille) is an airport located in Lesquin, south-southeast of Lille, a city in northern France. It is also known as Lille-Lesquin Airport or Lesquin Airport. Lille is the principal city of the Lille ...
is 15 minutes from the city centre by car (11 km). In terms of shipping, it ranks fourth, with almost 38,000 tonnes of freight which pass through each year. Its passenger traffic, around 1.2 million in 2010, is modest due to the proximity to Brussels, Charleroi, and Paris-CDG airports. The airport mostly connects other French and European cities (some with low-cost airlines).
Waterways
Lille is the third-largest French river port after Paris and Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...
. The river Deûle is connected to regional waterways with over of navigable waters. The Deûle connects to Northern Europe via the river Scarpe and the river Scheldt (towards Belgium and the Netherlands), and internationally via the Lys (to Dunkerque and Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
).
Shipping statistics
Education
With more than 110,000 students the metropolitan area of Lille is one of France's top student cities.
* With roots from 1562 to 1793 as University of Douai
The University of Douai (french: Université de Douai) ( nl, Universiteit van Dowaai) is a former university in Douai, France. With a medieval heritage of scholarly activities in Douai, the university was established in 1559 and lectures started ...
, (then as Université Impériale in 1808), the State University of Lille was established in Lille in 1854 with Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization, the latter of which was named afte ...
as the first dean of its Faculty of Sciences. A school of medicine and an engineering school were also established in Lille in 1854 and the University of Lille was united as the association of existing public Faculties in 1896. It was then split into three independent university campuses in 1970: Lille 1 University of Science and Technology, Lille 2 University of Law and Health and Lille 3 Charles de Gaulle University of Humanities, Social sciences, Literature and Arts.
At the beginning of 2018 Lille 1, Lille 2 and Lille 3 merged to form the new University of Lille
The University of Lille (french: Université de Lille, abbreviated as ULille, UDL or univ-lille) is a French public research university based in Lille, Hauts-de-France. It has its origins in the University of Douai (1559), and resulted from th ...
(student enrollment: 70,000).
It is part of the Community of Universities and Institutions (COMUE) Lille Nord de France and the European Doctoral College Lille Nord de France.
* The Arts et Métiers ParisTech
Arts et Métiers ParisTech is a French engineering and research institute of higher education. It is a '' grande école'', recognized for leading in the fields of mechanics and industrialization. Founded in 1780, it is among the oldest French in ...
, an engineering graduate school of industrial and mechanical engineering, settled in Lille in 1900. This campus is one of the eight Teaching and Research Center (CER) of the school. Its creation was decided by Pierre-Nicolas Legrand de Lérant.
* Ecole Centrale de Lille is one of the five Centrale Graduate Schools of engineering in France; it was founded in Lille city in 1854, its graduate engineering education and research center was established as Institut industriel du Nord (IDN) in 1872, in 1968 it moved in a modern campus in Lille suburb.
* École nationale supérieure de chimie de Lille was established as Institut de chimie de Lille in 1894 supporting chemistry research as followers of Charles Frédéric Kuhlmann, Kuhlmann's breakthrough works in Lille.
* École supérieure de journalisme de Lille, journalism school created in 1924.
* Skema Business School established in 1892 is ranked among the top business schools in France.
* École pour l'informatique et les nouvelles technologies settled in Lille in 2009.
* ESME-Sudria and E-Artsup settled in Lille in 2012.
* The Lille 2 University of Health and Law, ESA – École Supérieure des Affaires is a Business Management school established in Lille in 1990.
* Institut d'études politiques de Lille, IEP Sciences-Po Lille political studies institute was established in Lille in 1992.
* The Institut supérieur européen de formation par l'action is also located in Lille.
* The Institut supérieur européen de gestion group (ISEG Group) established in Lille in 1988.
* The European Doctoral College Lille Nord de France is headquartered in Lille Metropolis and includes 3,000 PhD Doctorate students supported by university research laboratories.
* The Université Catholique de Lille was founded in 1875. Today it has law, economics, medicine, physics faculties and schools.
**Among these schools is Institut catholique d'arts et métiers (ICAM) founded in 1898, ranked 20th among engineering schools, with the specificity of graduating polyvalent engineers.
**Hautes études d'ingénieur, École des Hautes études d'ingénieur (HEI) a school of engineering founded in 1885 and offering 10 fields of specialization.
**École des hautes études commerciales du nord (EDHEC) founded in 1906. EDHEC's MSc Financial Markets program was ranked #1 worldwide by Financial Times in 2017; making it one of the most prestigious financial study programs globally.
**IESEG School of Management founded in 1964 (17th place in the latest Financial Times global ranking of the 90 best masters in management, published on Monday 12 September 2016).
**Skema Business School currently ranked within the top 5, the top 10 and top 15 business schools in France respectively. In 1924 ESJ—a leading journalism school—was established.
Lille is also site of the University and Polytechnic Federation of Lille (Fédération Universitaire et Polytechnique de Lille), a large private educational university that includes a medical school, business school, law school, etc.
Notable people
The Arts
* Renée Adorée (1898–1933), actress
* Alfred Agache (painter), Alfred-Pierre Agache (1843–1915), academic art, academic painter
* Ernest Joseph Bailly (1753–1823), painter
* Antoinette Bourignon (1616–1680) a French-Flemish mystic and adventurer.
* Victor Chocquet (1821–1891), patron of the arts
* Émile Bernard (painter), Émile Bernard (1868–1941), Neo-impressionism, neoimpressionist painter
* Yvonne Chauffin (1905–1995), writer, winner of the 1970 edition of the Prix Breizh
* Édouard Chimot (d. 1959), artist and illustrator, editor of the Devambez illustrated art-editions
* Léon Danchin (1887–1938), animal artist and sculptor
* Alain Decaux (1925–2016), TV presenter, minister, writer, member of the Académie française
* Pierre De Geyter (1848–1932), textile worker, composed the music of ''The Internationale'' in Lille
* Désiré Dihau (1833–1909), bassoonist and composer
* Raoul de Godewaersvelde (1928–1977), singer
* Gabriel Grovlez (1879–1944), pianist, conductor and composer
* Pierre Dubreuil (1872–1944), photographer
* Carolus-Duran (1837–1917), painter.
* Julien Duvivier (1896–1967), director
* Yvonne Furneaux (1928–), actress
* Paul Gachet (1828–1909), doctor known for treating the painter Vincent van Gogh
* Jacquemart Giélée (13th century), poet
* Constance Jablonski, (born 1991) model
* Kamini (musician), Kamini (1980–), rap singer, hits success in 2006 with the "rural-rap" ''Marly-Gomont''
* Édouard Lalo (1823–1892), composer.
* Adélaïde Leroux (born 1982), actress
* Serge Lutens (born 1942), photographer, make-up artist and fashion designer
* Iris Mittenaere (born 1993), model, Miss France 2016, and Miss Universe 2016
* Philippe Noiret (1930–2006), actor
* Charles-Joseph Panckoucke, (1736–1788), intellectual and writer
* Albert Samain (1858–1900), poet.
* Ana Tijoux (born 1977), rapper and singer whose family originally was from Chile
Politics, military and public service
* Martine Aubry (1950–), deputy, minister, and Mayor of Lille
* Madeleine Damerment (1917–1944), French Resistance fighter, Legion of Honor, Croix de Guerre, Médaille de la Résistance
* Pierre Joseph Duhem (1758–1807), physician and The Mountain, Montagnard
* Louis Faidherbe (1818–1889), general, founder of the city of Dakar and senator
* Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970), general, resistance fighter, President of France
* Auguste Joseph Alphonse Gratry, Joseph Gratry (1805−1872) theologian and author.
* Isabella of Hainault (1170–1190) List of French royal consorts, Queen of France as the first wife of Philip II of France, King Philip II.
* Augustin Laurent (1896–1990), minister, deputy, resistance fighter, and Mayor of Lille
* Achille Liénart (1884–1973), « cardinal des ouvriers »
* Alain de Lille (ca.1128 – ca.1202) a theologian and poet.
* Yves de Lille (ca.1587–unknown), Flemish Capuchin friar and author
* Pierre Mauroy (1928–2013), deputy, senator, Prime Minister of France, and Mayor of Lille
Science & Mathematics
* Charles Barrois (1851–1939), geologist and palaeontologist.
* Joseph Valentin Boussinesq (1842–1929), mathematician and physicist
* Albert Calmette
Léon Charles Albert Calmette ForMemRS (12 July 1863 – 29 October 1933) was a French physician, bacteriologist and immunologist, and an important officer of the Pasteur Institute. He discovered the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, an attenuated fo ...
(1863–1933) and Camille Guérin (1872–1961), scientists who discovered the antituberculosis vaccine
* Yvonne Choquet-Bruhat (1923–), mathematician and physicist
* Jean Dieudonné (1906–1992), mathematician
* Paul Hallez (1846–1938), biologist
* Joseph Kampé de Fériet (1893–1982), researcher on fluid dynamics
* Charles Frédéric Kuhlmann, (1803–1881), chemist professor
* Gaspard Thémistocle Lestiboudois (1797–1876), naturalist
* Matthias de l'Obel (1538–1616), physician to King James I of England, scientist
* Henri Padé (1863–1953), mathematician
* Paul Painlevé (1863–1933), mathematician and politician
* Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization, the latter of which was named afte ...
, (1822–1895), micro-biologist
* Jean Baptiste Perrin (1870–1942), Nobel Prize in physics
Sport
* Maxime Agueh (born 1978), footballer
* Sanaa Altama (born 1990), footballer
* Alain Baclet (born 1986), footballer
* Nabil Bentaleb (born 1994), footballer
* Ismael Ehui (born 1986), footballer
* Patrick Francheterre (born 1948), ice hockey player, coach and manager
* Amandine Henry (born 1989), footballer
* Gaël Kakuta, footballer
* Clarck N'Sikulu, footballer
* Sarah Ousfar (born 1993), basketball player
* Alassane Pléa, footballer
* Lucas Pouille, tennis player
* Alain Raguel (born 1976), footballer
* Antoine Sibierski (born 1974), footballer
* Didier Six (born 1954), footballer
* Philippe Suywens (born 1971), footballer
* Jerry Vandam, footballer
* Raphaël Varane (born 1993), footballer
* Abdellah Zoubir (born 1991), footballer
Media and sports
Local newspapers include ''Nord éclair'' and '' La Voix du Nord''.
France's national public television network has a channel that focuses on the local area: France 3 Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
The city's most major association football club, Lille OSC, currently plays in Ligue 1, the highest level of football in France. The club has won eight major national trophies and regularly features in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. In the 2010–11 in French football, 2010–11 season, Lille won the 2010–11 Ligue 1, league and 2011 Coupe de France Final, cup Double (association football), double. In 2020–21, they won the 2020–21 Ligue 1, league and 2021 Trophée des Champions, supercup.
Lille's Stade Pierre-Mauroy was the playground for the final stages of the FIBA EuroBasket 2015.
The same venue will host handball at the 2024 Summer Olympics as Paris getting the city being part instead football, where the city was eliminated as co-host city.
It was in Lille that the 100th World Esperanto Congress took place, in 2015.
Lille is home to , former and continuously one of France's best lacrosse teams. The team plays its home games at .
International relations
Lille is twinned with:
* Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, United States
* Cologne, Germany
* Erfurt, Germany
* Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
* Haifa, Israel
* Kharkiv, Ukraine
* Leeds, England, United Kingdom
* Liège, Belgium
* Nablus, Palestine
* Oujda, Morocco
* Rotterdam, Netherlands
* Saint-Louis, Senegal, Saint-Louis, Senegal
* Tlemcen, Algeria
* Turin, Italy
* Valladolid, Spain
* Wrocław, Poland
References
Sources
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External links
- Official website
{{Authority control
Lille,
Communes of Nord (French department)
Prefectures in France
Cities in France
French Flanders